Diplomat parachuted in to contest Lalor preselection, admits being ALP member for less than a month

One of Labor's safest seats, which is about to be vacated by former prime minister Julia Gillard, looks set to be handed to a diplomat who has never lived in the area and has been a member of the ALP for less than a month.

Lisa Clutterham has announced she will stand for pre-selection in the western Melbourne seat of Lalor, which is Labor's fifth safest seat currently held on a margin of more than 20 per cent.

"I don't have a connection with Melbourne and that's not something I'm shying away from," she told ABC Radio in Melbourne.

"But I've been presented with an incredible opportunity to nominate for the seat of Lalor for preselection.

"As someone who has over the past few years had a growing resolve to pursue a career in politics, a career which I think is the highest form of public service, it's an opportunity that I haven't been able to say no to and that I'm extremely excited about."

The 29-year-old diplomat to Papua New Guinea says she has the support of Trade Minister Richard Marles, who is the member for the Victorian seat of Corio and is closely allied to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

The party's national executive will decide today whether to parachute selected candidates into seats where there is not enough time to hold rank-and-file plebiscites.

A decision to bypass the members would be likely to trigger disquiet in the branches and would stand in contrast with Mr Rudd's recent comments about "modernising" the party.

Labor connection 'not much pedigree'

Ms Gillard, Craig Emerson, Peter Garrett, Simon Crean and Greg Combet all announced they would quit politics at the next election, following the leadership ructions that thrust Mr Rudd back into power.

Ms Gillard has urged the party to back local primary school principal Joanne Ryan in the pre-selection battle for Lalor.

When asked about any local connections and her recent party membership, Ms Clutterham admitted "it isn't much a pedigree".

"But I'm in the camp of the majority of Australians, 99 per cent of whom are not members of political parties," she said.

"And as a young person my immediate priority has been completing my university education and building a career before politics as an Australian diplomat. That was my focus."

Ms Clutterham grew up in Adelaide, has worked in Canberra with the Department of Foreign Affairs and has been posted with the diplomatic corps to Solomon Islands and PNG.

"I've built a life before politics," she added.

"Just because you haven't followed that traditional pathway it shouldn't preclude you from putting up your hand to represent a constituency."

The ALP national executive will also decide how to proceed with the pre-selection races in the NSW seats of Charlton and Kingsford-Smith and Simon Crean's Victorian seat of Hotham.

Pre-selection for Craig Emerson's southern Brisbane seat of Rankin will be decided in a truncated rank-and-file process by the end of next week.